Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Whimsical, textured and detailed - with an emphasis on light and shade.
What items are an essential part of your creative space?
A cup of tea, comfy clothes, a tidy work space filled with beautiful things and a podcast in-ear.
Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I think getting my hands dirty with paints, inks and pencils, has to be my all time favourite way to create. But I do find the convenience and versatility of digital painting keeps pulling me back in.
Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Pascal Campion, Michael Leunig and Hayao Miyazaki. If you would allow me a few more; Wes Anderson, Rebecca Greene, Jim Field, Oliver Jeffers, Felicita Sala and Louise Lockhart.
Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Visually, everything around the early 1900’s is exciting to me. A time where traditional art-norms were challenged - bringing us artist like Monet, Picasso and Frida Kahlo. But I also find advertising design and typography around this period to be really beautiful and inspiring.
Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
My dad was an animator and as a kid we had access to hundreds of animation VHS tapes (including Miyazaki), which were lined up in rows upon rows in the lounge room. So this was excellent fun, for obvious reasons. But probably my fondest memory of illustrations from my childhood is of the paper dolls my mother used to make for us. We didn’t have much growing up, and they were very special to my siblings and I. You could change their outfits, by folding the little paper tabs over the body and as I got older, I started to make my own. I also used to keep a diary and draw pictures for each entry, which I think of now as the beginning of my bookillustrating journey. I do feel very lucky that there’s always been an illustration/art influence in my life, but my path here has not been a straight forward one. It took a lot of trying, failing and sometimes even succeeding at LOADS of different things and still finding myself feeling pretty lost in general, before finally decided to pursue what feels good in my guts. And bottom line is, I just love drawing.
My dad was an animator and as a kid we had access to hundreds of animation VHS tapes (including Miyazaki), which were lined up in rows upon rows in the lounge room. So this was excellent fun, for obvious reasons. But probably my fondest memory of illustrations from my childhood is of the paper dolls my mother used to make for us. We didn’t have much growing up, and they were very special to my siblings and I. You could change their outfits, by folding the little paper tabs over the body and as I got older, I started to make my own. I also used to keep a diary and draw pictures for each entry, which I think of now as the beginning of my bookillustrating journey. I do feel very lucky that there’s always been an illustration/art influence in my life, but my path here has not been a straight forward one. It took a lot of trying, failing and sometimes even succeeding at LOADS of different things and still finding myself feeling pretty lost in general, before finally decided to pursue what feels good in my guts. And bottom line is, I just love drawing.
Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most. Talk us through it.
I feel very lucky to have a designated room as my work studio. I have one desk for all my digital work and another desk that faces the window, for all my messy work (paints and pencils etc). We’ve been in this house for a year and it’s a dream, but this has not always been the case. I am very used to cramping my desk, along with all my “stuff”, into the corner of a room and just making it work. It’s harder to get into the creative zone like this, but for me - as long as my space is organised, I have my art materials within arms reach and a cup of tea in-hand, I’m good to go.
What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
As I’m drawing, I can feel the characters revealing themselves to me. What their voices sound like, what they’re grumbling about, where they’re off to today, if their tummy is grumbling because they’re hungry, or if their feet hurt because they’re not used to wearing high heels. It sounds nuts, but it’s true and I love it. It’s like magic and it’s delightful, charming and lots of fun. My own special little world.
What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Starting is the hardest part, so I have found drawing to a brief is key. If you don’t have one, give yourself one. Make a birthday card for someone, or an artwork to hang in your house. Then do another, and then another, and then another. Before you know it, you’ve developed a body of work, you know what you like, what sits well with you and what feels natural. People start thinking of you as an artist, which helps you to believe in yourself as an artist and it all just snow balls. Just start!
Starting is the hardest part, so I have found drawing to a brief is key. If you don’t have one, give yourself one. Make a birthday card for someone, or an artwork to hang in your house. Then do another, and then another, and then another. Before you know it, you’ve developed a body of work, you know what you like, what sits well with you and what feels natural. People start thinking of you as an artist, which helps you to believe in yourself as an artist and it all just snow balls. Just start!
Natasha Carty is an illustrator living in Brisbane. She has released three children’s books in one year and has another two on the way. Natasha also illustrates novel covers, works in the film industry - illustrating and designing props, and runs a greeting-card business, selling her designs all around the world.
For more information, please visit Natasha's website or follow her on instagram.
